IRCC Offering Open Work Permit to PGWP Holders

Immigration Minister, Sean Fraser releases a temporary policy that permits foreign graduates to stay in Canada a little longer. At the beginning of summer, foreign students with a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) that is expiring by December 2022 and graduates living in Canada will be qualified to get an additional work permit for up to 18 months. Under normal circumstances, the PGWP is not extendable or renewable.

The announcement came into the light to allow PGWP holders to stay in Canada longer and garner work experience and attain permanent residency. Given that express entry draws for Canadian Experience Class (CEC) applicants have been put on hold temporarily since September last year, a number of PGWP holders with permits expiring are forced to apply for a new work permit, quit jobs, or leave the country.

According to the recent update by IRCC, 95000 PGWPs will get expired in 2022 and approximately 50000 people will get benefitted from the measure. The announcement was released around the same time as Fraser revealed a few measures to support economic-class immigrants. The Immigration Minister, Sean Fraser emphasized that Canada is again resuming CEC, FSWP, and FSTP from early July 2022. IRCC also planning to offer an open work permit extension of up to 18 months to Post-Graduation Work Permit holders (PGWP).

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) have exclusively ramped up the process in recent months. The first quarter of 2022 saw 100,000 work permits getting processed and the number doubled from the last year’s statistics.

In the year 2021, more than 157000 foreign graduates were offered permanent residency and with more than 88000 of them are transitioning from a PGWP to Permanent Residency.